SPORTS >> Beavers to celebrate ’42 Rose Bowl anniversary

By Kip Carlson It was one last chance for joy and celebration before a long, demanding and deadly task — and it nearly didn’t happen. Three-quarters of a century ago this fall, the greatest accomplishment in Oregon State’s athletic history to that point — the school’s first-ever berth in the Rose Bowl — was followed in short order by Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, pulling the United States into World War II. Oregon State will celebrate that team this fall with a variety of 75th anniversary activities cen- tered around Oct. 29, when OSU hosts Washing- ton State in the Homecoming game. The Beavers will wear throwback helmet designs honoring the 1941 squad during several games this year. In the weeks that followed Pearl Harbor and the Declaration of War, every segment of U.S. life — including sports — threw itself into fight- ing the war. Disruption of life on the home front almost eliminated Oregon State’s change for the national spotlight. However, in 1941 the Beavers traveled a roundabout road to capture a most unusual Rose Bowl, beating second-ranked Duke 20-16 on Jan. 1, 1942 in Durham, N.C. Playing in one of the 45 or so bowl games in the current era remains a reward for a team’s good-to-great season, but in the early 1940s there were only five “official” bowls — Cotton, Orange, Sugar, Sun and the biggest one, the Rose Bowl. The Beavers had never qualified for the game known as “The Granddaddy of Them All.” Going into the 1941 season, Stanford, Cal- ifornia and Washington were favored in the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). Oregon State was picked for a bottom-half finish but Lon Stiner, the Beavers’ ninth-year head coach, felt his team deserved better. The Beavers had

48 << OREGON STATER Members of the Oregon State Beaver Rose Bowl football team arriving at the train station to play against Duke University, 1941.

Dec. 19 for what would become a 21-day, 7,384-mile round trip. One Beaver wouldn’t be going. Jack Yoshihara, an end from Portland, was subject to government travel restrictions keeping Americans of Japanese ancestry within 35 miles of their homes. Yoshiha- ra was eventually one of approximately 120,000 Americans placed in internment camps; he never returned to classes at Oregon State but was inducted into the OSU and State of Oregon sports halls of fame with his teammates. OSU honored him and other students of Japanese heritage at Commencement in 2008, and Yoshihara, clad in a letter jacket, trium- phantly raised his Rose Bowl ring for all to see. Traveling by rail, the 12th-ranked Bea- vers stopped for practices in Chicago and a top-quality line led by center Quentin evening, it was official: Oregon State was Washington, D.C. Having lost twice during Greenough and a number of potential going to Pasadena. the season, they were heavy underdogs to offensive stars including Don Durdan and It was also the custom at the time their unbeaten, untied hosts from the East Bob Dethman. for the PCC representative to select its Coast. When they arrived in the nation’s The Beavers dropped their season opponent, and the Beavers picked sec- capital, sports columnist Francis E. Stan opener to Southern California 13-7, but ond-ranked Duke in North Carolina, which observed “…that as far as the man on the then defeated Washington 9-6 and Stan- hadn’t had a team come within 13 points street is concerned Oregon State is a bush ford 10-0 in back-to-back weeks, the lat- of it as the Blue Devils rolled through the team on a coast-to-coast joyride … ter victory snapping the Indians’ 12-game Southern Conference. “From Head Coach Lon Stiner on down, win streak. After a 7-0 loss at Washington Then, eight days after the football Civil they did their best not to spoil an East- State, the Beavers reeled off four straight War, Japan bombed U.S. military facilities erner’s popular impression of a team from shutout wins over Idaho, UCLA, California at Pearl Harbor, pulling the nation into a Oregon State College along the Willamette and Montana. much more real kind of war. The dev- River. They rubber-necked at the city That put Oregon State in position to astation of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet from a sight-seeing bus, ate heartily at clinch the Rose Bowl berth in the 45th left the West Coast vulnerable to attack, an evening meal and piled back onto the Civil War. Joe Day’s 28-yard touchdown and military officials banned large public train for the last lap … run early in the fourth quarter gave the gatherings — including the Tournament of “Somehow, the Beavers didn’t behave Beavers a 12-7 win over the Ducks before Roses and the Rose Bowl. like a big bowl team. The schools from a sellout crowd of 20,500 at Oregon’s When Duke offered to host the game New York, for instance, put it on big. It’s all Hayward Field. In that era, the PCC’s Rose across the nation at its 56,000-seat sta- boom-boom and don’t spare the cymbals. Bowl representative was decided by a dium in Durham, Oregon State accepted. The Texas teams take their cues from the vote of the schools. By that Saturday The Beavers would leave Corvallis on chambers of commerce and swagger into

FALL 2016 >> 49 town wearing high-heeled boots and wide white sombreros. The Legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice reviewed the game California outfits come in style, movie stars hamming things up in his nationwide column, and noted the reaction of one of his and press agents beating the big drums. press box companions to what they saw: “I think Maj. Swede “The Beavers, though, behaved normally and this was not at Larson of the Navy and the Marines called the turn between all usual.” halves at Durham when he said, ‘You can see that Duke is being The week before the game was spent training on North Caro- hit harder and keener than at any time during the season. Duke lina’s campus, just 10 miles down Tobacco Road from Duke. The doesn’t seem to be quite used to this.’ Beavers’ captain for the game, guard Martin Chaves, was named “That was the answer. I rode back West with the Oregon Mayor For A Day in Durham; the players got golf and polo lessons Staters. They were a strong, husky-looking bunch who gave you at Pinehurst Country Club. the idea they had been used to hard battling — and could give Finally, on Jan. 1, the Beavers took the field on a cold, damp it and take it. They had been hit hard all season, while Duke had day and shocked the nation, knocking Duke on its heels from the been on a flock of picnics, largely in soft meadows.” start, taking a 7-0 lead on Durdan’s 15-yard run in the first quar- The Beavers celebrated that evening, then headed for home ter. The Blue Devils tied the game by halftime, then the Beavers via a southern route. They saw the East-West Shrine All-Star scored in the third quarter on Dethman’s 31-yard pass to George Game that had been moved from San Francisco to New Orleans; Zellick. Duke again answered, but later in the period Gene Gray in Southern California, they got a look at the Rose Bowl stadium. hauled in a 68-yard touchdown pass from Durdan to put Oregon They returned to Corvallis on Jan. 9 and were feted by students, State in front 20-14. Duke’s late safety wasn’t enough and Ore- faculty and townspeople before they headed back to class or — gon State was victorious, 20-16. for many of them — off to war.q

Death of Sam Bell stirs track memories NCAA champs from left: Coach Sam Bell, Dale Story, Cliff Thompson, Jerry Brady, Rich Cuddihy, Bill Boyd.

has coached collegiately, you will never forget that first job. The Bell family, cer- tainly, never forgot OSU.” Hired out of Cottage Grove High School at age 30, Bell coached OSU to its first NCAA championship in any sport, the 1961 men’s cross country title, with barefoot runner Dale Story winning the individu- al championship. In track and field, the Beavers finished in the top 15 at the NCAA Championships six times in Bell’s seven seasons, including tying for fourth in 1960 and placing sixth in 1963. Four of Bell’s Beavers won NCAA indi- In the program for a 1964 track and field He was part of an outstanding group of vidual championships in track and field, dual meet between the United States and coaches at Oregon State in the late 1950s nine earned All-America honors and two the Soviet Union, Sam Bell, men’s head and early 1960s: football’s Tommy Pro- represented the U.S. in the Olympics. In coach for the U.S. team, was called “the thro, men’s basketball’s Slats Gill, base- 1963, OSU’s two-mile relay team of Jan man who put Oregon State University on ball’s Ralph Coleman and wrestling’s Dale Underwood, Jerry Brady, Norm Hoffman the track and field map.” Thomas, all of whom have been inducted and Morgan Groth set the world record at During the Cold War, even athletic into their sport’s coaching hall of fame. the California Relays. Groth set the U.S. competitions between the U.S. and “Fran (Bell’s wife) and Sam loved OSU record in the 880-yard run in 1965. the U.S.S.R. took on new importance. and mentioned to me a number of times, After leaving OSU, Bell coached at Cal- Bell leading the American squad that those young men he got to coach at ifornia for four years and then Indiana for was an indication of his status and OSU had a very special place in his life and 29 years. He also coached U.S. distance accomplishments. that of his family,” said OSU cross coun- runners in the 1976 Olympics. Bell, who died June 27 at age 88, try/track and field head coach Kelly Sul- q coached Oregon State from 1958-65 as livan, who received encouragement and — Kip Carlson part of a career that put him in numerous assistance from Bell when OSU restarted halls of fame, including the OSU Athletic its programs in 2004. “OSU was his first Hall of Fame in 2006. collegiate coaching job, and anyone who 50 << OREGON STATER

Editor’s note: Our new “Athletes’ Journal” asks Oregon State student-athletes to directly address Beaver Nation on topics of their choosing. The pieces might be edited for length and clarity (true of all pieces in theStater ), but the goal is to let these young people — who represent all of us in the OSU community as they compete — speak in their own voice.

JOURNAL Why student-athletes are worth the investment Lihani du Plessis teammates as they inspire one another, juggle practice and biohealth sciences; rowing classwork, keep their commitments and manage their time. Employers value these skills. Often depicted as disinterested in academics, Oregon State develops student-athletes not only through spoiled or immoral in their actions, student- our athletic pursuits, but also through development programs athletes are disproportionately negatively repre- that are among the first of their kind in the NCAA, including ATHLETES’ ATHLETES’ sented in the media. Although student-athletes résumé workshops, mock interviews, investment club, a cost a considerable amount, I suggest that it’s health professions pipeline and a business startup program.

>> worth the investment because we can become We student-athletes thank Beaver Nation and OSU Athletics for some of the best leaders. investing in us, and we work hard to make the most of these In 2014, 2,053 schools cumulatively spent opportunities. more than $3 billion on scholarships and an astounding $11 Maybe it appears that student-athletes get an easy, free ride billion on “other” expenses for 12,118 athletes across the U.S. through college, are pampered or get too much attention. But Some athletes, depending on their sport and school, can cost from personal experience I propose that despite the media’s between $50,000 to $125,000 per year. portrayal, most of us will become great contributors to society However, just as a diamond is born under pressure, so too and many of us will become great leaders. can leaders be formed, drenched in sweat, on the court, the The next time you see a Beaver student-athlete make a field, on the river and in the huddle. Theodore Roosevelt, John F. tackle, score a goal or cross the finish line, look again! You may Kennedy and Dwight D. Eisenhower were student-athletes. have just witnessed the next great president, CEO, engineer, Student-athletes work with people from various countries, banker or other leader giving their all for their teammates and socioeconomic backgrounds and religions, acting as a team moving toward their greater goal. q as they seek a common goal. They build rapport with their We need more female college head coaches Maureen Tremblay ’16 While my experience as an athlete at Oregon State has been exercise and sport science/education; track and cross-country extremely positive, it isn’t hard to notice the lack of female coaches within the department. Currently, four Beaver wom- As a high school and college athlete, I was en’s teams have a female head coach, ranking OSU 44 out of 75 fortunate to have multiple coaches that had “Power Five” schools for their number of female head coaches. a major influence on my athletic and personal In high school, I joined a cross-country team coached by a development. It’s obvious how I differ from most successful female runner, which was the catalyst that led me of them. My gender is not well represented in to compete in college. Although my male head coach at OSU the world of coaching, especially at the col- is without a doubt the most caring, supportive and passionate lege level. Only 23 percent of head coaches in individual I have ever met, the relationship with a male head Division I athletics are women. There needs to coach is definitely different than with that of a female. Having be a push to diversify the coaching world, because without an a female coach is by no means inherently better for female equal representation of female coaches, the opportunity for athletes, but I do think it is important for all athletes to be student-athletes to have supportive female mentors and role exposed to different kinds of coaching styles, and to coaches of models in athletics is severely diminished. different genders. When athletes have a female coach to look While the rise of women’s sports has been full of opportunity up to, it legitimizes the need for women in these positions, and for female athletes over the past four decades, the same can- hopefully will encourage more females to become coaches. not be said for female coaches. In 1972, when the Title IX law As my senior year at OSU ended this year, I planned to was enacted, females coached 90 percent of women’s colle- become a graduate assistant coach, but it became clear how giate sports. Currently, over 40 years after the implementation difficult it is to enter the coaching profession. Instead, I accept- of Title IX, this number has dropped by more than half, with ed a position at Clemson University, working in student-athlete only 40 percent of coaching positions across all NCAA women’s development and leadership. I hope to use my role as a mentor teams held by women. to inspire other athletes, both male and female, to pursue the This is especially relevant to cross-country and track ath- coaching profession or a leadership position in athletics in order letes. Track and field has more female athletes than any other to continue to develop high achieving athletes across all ages. NCAA sport, with almost 29,000 participants. Yet, despite this I realize I cannot solve this issue on my own; I encourage high number of teams and participants, only 8 percent of all females to persist in their pursuit of positions in college athletic track and field programs in the nation are head-coached by departments and to continue to strive for equivalency in the women. sporting world. q 52 << OREGON STATER